As careers go, Audrey Gelman should be a case study for how to be a successful "multi-hyphenate": she's the press secretary for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, an actress on HBO's hit series Girls (she plays the headband-sporting rival to Allison Williams' Marnie), and a Downtown for Democracy board member who helped re-launch the PAC of choice for NYC's arty, young progressive set. (And this is to say nothing of her personal life, which includes being the girlfriend of celebrity photographer Terry Richardson and the best friend of Girls creator/star Lena Dunham.) But, the way Gelman sees it, her many-layered life is not unusual for the born-and-bred New Yorker. "I think my range of interests and the pursuits I'm involved in are just a reflection of the dynamism of New York," Gelman says. "All city kids are really comfortable being eclectic."

Having grown up on the Upper West Side "in a Woody Allen movie," Gelman attributes her political interests to her parents ("my dad would print out every Op-Ed William Safire wrote and dissect it") and, TV stardom aside, wants to remain in politics for the foreseeable future. Though she says she has no plans ever to run for office herself, she hopes to continue working for someone "I believe in and who's making an impact in public policy." And would she ever leave New York for a town like D.C.? Not likely. She says, "[My life] probably couldn't happen in any other city."